A typical work machine, such as, for example, a tractor, dozer, loader, earth mover or other such piece of equipment, has a designed work life. The designed work life of the work machine is determined, in part, by the designed work life of each individual component making up the work machine. However, the actual work life of a given component, and thus the actual life of the work machine itself, may vary from machine to machine based on use stresses to which the work machine is subjected. Use stresses that affect the work life of a work machine may include, for example, operating conditions, road layout, weather conditions, road conditions, loading practices, and efficiencies.
The designed work life of a component corresponds to the actual work life only when the actual work site resembles a “typical” or “reasonable” work site, upon which the designed work life is based. However, most work sites differ from a typical site in one or more of the use stresses that affect the component life. Accordingly, the actual work life of a component seldom matches the designed component life.
If a work machine is subjected to use stresses that are more harsh than the factors at a typical work site, then the actual work life of the machine component will be shorter than the designed work life. Failure to recognize that the component has a shorter actual work life can result in failure of the component before scheduled maintenance is performed. Operating the component until it fails often causes secondary failures of other components that are dependent upon the failed component. Further, such failures are often unpredictable in time, and may require performing maintenance in places at the work site where the work machine is not easily accessible, or the work machine may be in the path of other work machines. Thus, failure of a single component may cause increased down time and higher operating expenses for the overall operation.
On the other hand, if a work machine is subjected to use stresses that are less severe than the factors at the typical work site, the actual work life of the machine component may be extended beyond the designed work life. Accordingly, the work machine components may not need to be serviced or maintained as frequently as is normally scheduled. Accordingly, performing the scheduled maintenance may be wasteful because the components do not yet need to be serviced.
One attempt to incorporate operating conditions of a machine into maintenance decisions is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,284 to Parupalli et al. The '284 patent discloses a system for determining when scheduled maintenance, such as an oil change, is due depending on the total number of miles driven, the total amount of fuel consumed, and the amount of oil in the oil sump. However, the '284 patent does not disclose a system for monitoring the actual work life of a machine component.
This disclosure is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems or disadvantages associated with the prior art.